The Rupee opened weaker as the dollar was on track for its best week in over a month on Friday as investors wagered the Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut rates next month, with the case for further easing made no clearer by a confounding U.S. jobs report. The yen briefly popped higher on Friday after Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said intervention was a possibility in dealing with excessively volatile and speculative moves, in an escalation of jawboning from Tokyo to stem a sliding currency. The release of the delayed U.S. nonfarm payrolls report on Thursday painted a mixed picture of the country's labour market, showing employment growth accelerated in September, but the jobless rate rose to 4.4%, its highest level in four years. That reinforced the view that the Fed is likely to hold off on cutting rates at its December meeting, as policymakers continue to sail through an economic fog brought about by the U.S. government shutdown. Against the dollar, the euro was pinned near a two-week low and last bought $1.1528, on track for a weekly decline of 0.8%. Sterling rose 0.11% to $1.3084, though was set to lose 0.7% for the week, with investors also anxiously awaiting Britain's upcoming budget in a major test for the nation's currency and bond markets. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of peers, flirted with a 5-1/2-month peak and last stood at 100.20. It was on track to clock a weekly gain of 0.9%, its best performance in over a month. Markets are now pricing in just a 27% chance of the Fed easing rates next month. In other currencies, the Australian dollar was up 0.09% at $0.6446, after sliding 0.6% overnight on a broad risk-off mood in markets. Much of the focus in the currency market this week has been on a sliding yen, which has plumbed fresh lows as investors fret about the nation's worsening fiscal position brought about by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's lavish stimulus package. The yen languished near a 10-month low and was last at 157.33 per dollar, having bottomed at 157.90 in the previous session. It was set to lose nearly 2% for the week, its worst performance in over a month. Oil prices extended their decline for a third straight session on Friday as the U.S. pushed for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal that could bring more oil supplies onto the global market, while uncertainty over U.S. interest rate cuts curbed investor risk appetite. Brent crude futures fell 71 cents, or 1.12%, to $62.67 a barrel by 0212 GMT after slipping 0.2% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $58.29 a barrel, down 71 cents, or 1.20%, after closing 0.5% lower on Thursday.......